Tuesday, July 26, 2011

L is for Lazy


I don't know why but I have been so lazy this week with my hat project. It usually takes me a day or two to turn out a hat but this one is taking forever, and it's an easy knit!
I knit a couple of rounds sit it down do somthing else come back a day later and knit a few more rounds. I really need to get this done.
My goal is to knit 6 hats for Halo's for Hope and I will get it done! Soon I hope!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Ariel's Blue Mushroom Hat


I asked Ariel, Have you seen Mario and Luigi lately? Because that hat looks like a big blue mushroom on your head! She laughed and said that’s ok because I like it!

By the time I finished this hat I could have knitted it 3 times. It’s not that the pattern was hard; I just couldn’t get the fit right. I wanted to make this hat for Halos for Hope a charity that gives hand -made caps to cancer patients. But it turned out to big. So I gave it to my hat girl Ariel, and as I have mention before she loves hats.
I used a nice soft yarn by Premier from their Serenity collection called Stormey, because I wanted a yarn that was easy to care for. The pattern called for a #11 circular needle for the brim, it turned out to lose. So I changed it to a #10, which turned out much better. And I continued with the pattern as stated. As you can see it is a nice slouchy beret and Ariel loves it.

You can find this pattern at Crazy Aunt Purl or at Raverly.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Looking for the perfect knitting bag!



Looking for the perfect knitting bag! That’s what I was doing when I found the pattern for this bag on All People Quilt. I was looking for a bag to carry my sock projects in while I worked on them. It needed to be small but not too small, but most of all I wanted it to be cute. That’s what I found in this bag!
It always amazes what I can find on the Internet. There are web-sites out there were you can print out patterns. All you need to do is cut them out and tape them together. Your biggest decision is what fabric to use.
Then again maybe it might be which bag you would like to make first. The web-site All People Quilt has 22 of them. Just pick which one you would like to start with first!
 This is the link for the bag patterns All people Quilt.

Monday, July 11, 2011

My Lesson in Sock Knitting



One of the things I was looking forward to most when I took up knitting was learning how to knit socks. But my knitting instructor told us that she was not going to be teaching socks knitting because she was   limited to the amount of classes that she would be allowed to teach.  So I decided to teach myself then.
I bought the book How to Knit Socks from Amazon by Edie Eckman. Then I went to the my local yarn shop The Needle Nook and bought some sock yarn and the needles that the Basic Sock on Double-Pointed Needles pattern called for and then I got down to work.

The pattern was very easy to follow with step by step instructions with photos. And with a little time and a lot of patience I was able to knit my first pair of socks.
My first pair

My next pair was Jacquard & Stripe Socks which I made for my daughter Brandy. They took a little longer to knit because I fell into the dreaded second sock syndrome.
Brandy's socks

My third pair was for my daughter Ariel they were Spiral Socks. This is a very easy pattern because you don’t turn the heel, that’s because this pattern makes a tube sock.
Kallie checking out Ariel's socks!

My forth pair Hermione's Everyday Socks are for me I love these socks they are my favorite.
My favorite pair

So a few lessons that I learned this past year are. That I like knitting socks. I am not afraid to turn a heel. And not to use any double point needles larger than a #2.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Crochet Edge Fleece Blanket



Crochet Edge Fleece Blanket

When Ariel and I were at Walmart the other day in their craft department looking at some fabric, Ariel found this fleece blanket material on clearance for 3 dollars a panel. And since her boy friend Derrick happens to be in the Navy we couldn’t pass up such a great deal.

We were talking about how to finish the edge of the blanket. I told her she could just cut the edge and leave it like that or she could turn over the edge and sew it. I also told her that I have seen it crocheted around the edges but that took a while because you will need to punch all the holes around the edge.
I decided to look up on the Internet about how to make holes in fleece for a crochet edge and of course I found what I was looking for. A cool little blade called a Skip Stitch that you can use in your Rotary Cutter that makes the job so much easier.


So I assembled all my materials that I would be needing and got down to work.
My materals

The edge before
I am using a size H hook
The edge after
  

Here is the link for the instructions on how to make the blanket, and also the website where you can order your own Skip-Stitch blade.
So get busy and order your blade and you to can make your own crochet edge fleece blankets for your love ones!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

My Little Storm Cloud Shawlette


I just took this shawl off my needles yesterday and today I have put something new on them. That’s the way goes when there is too much yarn and so little time! Now about this little shawlette.
I had a hard time getting started on this shawl in the first place. Not that it was hard to knit, it's was just that I couldn't decide which yarn I liked best. I started with SKK Ovation which is a kid mohair and this was my first time knitting with such a fine yarn. I was having a hard time with this yarn because it keeps falling off my needles. Then I switched to a Patons lace yarn and then I decide I didn't like the color change so I took that out and then I went back to the mohair determined to get the hang of knitting with this yarn, I glad that I did. It floats just like a cloud.
You can find this shawl pattern on Ever Green Knits. I love this little shawl so much that I will be making another one soon. But first I have to finish a few more projects.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

My Cloche Hat


My cloche hat, cloche means bell in French! So I guess I could also call this my bell hat, but I think cloche sounds more fascinating.
It’s kind of funny I know to make a wool hat in the middle of summer, but I thought it would be an easy project to do, something that wouldn’t be to hot sitting on my lap while I knitted or crochet. That’s why I decided that the prefect projects for this summer would be to make a couple of hats. Now I have felted a few things in the past but I have never felted a hat before.
So I went looking for a felted hat pattern and I found this one on Ravelry  and thought that this would be a good one to make. It is called a Beacon Street Cloche. And this was also going to be my first crochet project that I would be felting.
I love how big something turns out before you felt it!

When I want to felt something I wash it on the hottest setting that my washing machine has. I toss in a little detergent and a pair of jeans. I turn on the machine and I wait, I keep checking on my project until it is as felted as much as I would like. For this hat I had to run the hat though three cycles. I had a towel handed and I keep trying the hat one until it was the size I wanted.


I then shaped my hat and sat it outside to dry. After It was dry I tried it on again and I still thought it was a little too big so I ran it through another cycle in the washing machine this time it fitted perfect.

I added a few button on the side that I found at Michaels. Now I am wondering how long before my daughter Ariel steals this hat from me!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Ariel's Beehive Hat


Ariel has had a love of hats since she was a little girl. So when I find a hat pattern that I would like to knit or crochet there is always someone there waiting for me to finish it.
I saw this pattern for a Slouchy Beehive Hat on Ravelry and just knew that I had to knit one.
I first use a # 8 knitting needle like the pattern calls for but found that the hat was turning out to big so I had to frog it. In knitting terms that mean I had to rip it out. Then I went down to a #6 needle and liked it much better. I also decided to only knit 2 inch for the brim instead of the 4 inches like in the pattern.
All and all the pattern knitted up pretty fast and I liked the way it turned out. I will be making this hat again and I think next time I will add a few more section so that the hat will be a little slouchier.